Chakma Black Day: A Forgotten Tragedy of Partition and Betrayal

How one indigenous community was erased from India’s Independence map

Ahimsak Chakma

On 15th August 1947, as the Indian subcontinent celebrated independence from British colonial rule, the indigenous people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT)—predominantly Chakmas, along with Marmas, Tripuris, and others—raised the Indian tricolour in Rangamati. It was a moment of hope and affirmation. For them, CHT was Indian by geography, demography, and legal reasoning. Yet two days later, that hope was extinguished when the Radcliffe Award unjustly placed their homeland under the newly formed Pakistan (now Bangladesh).

Since then, 17th August has been observed by Chakma communities in Bangladesh, India, and across the diaspora as Chakma Black Day—a day of mourning, remembrance, and reflection on one of the most overlooked injustices of the Partition of India.

CHT: Historically, Culturally, and Legally Linked to India

The Chittagong Hill Tracts, located adjacent to the Indian border and home to over 98% non-Muslim indigenous communities in 1947, had clear geographic and demographic alignment with India. The region was distinct in culture, religion, and governance from the Muslim-majority plains of the then East Pakistan.

In the months leading up to Independence, the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samiti (PCJS), under the leadership of Sneha Kumar Chakma, mobilized sustained legal and political efforts to ensure CHT’s inclusion in India. Sneha Kumar met with senior Congress leaders, including Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who reportedly assured him that the CHT would not be handed over to Pakistan under any circumstances. They reiterated this assurance before the Cabinet Mission as well.

The same conviction was shared by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who later supported the idea of arming CHT youth to resist Pakistani encroachment.

Sneha Kumar was also co-opted into the Excluded Areas Sub-Committee of the Constituent Assembly. On 3rd April 1947, he sat with the Committee in Rangamati, and on 14th July 1947, presented a detailed memorandum to the Bengal Boundary Commission, outlining CHT’s rightful claim to remain with India.

Despite strong legal, demographic, and political arguments, the Commission’s hearings went ahead without Sir Cyril Radcliffe, its chairman. Muslim League lawyers aggressively countered Chakma’s representation. Even the two non-Muslim members of the Commission—Justice Bijan Mukherjee and Justice Charu Biswas—supported the claim. Yet, the final decision went against the people of CHT. Radcliffe allegedly crumpled Sardar Patel’s letter and dismissed Chakma demands with disdain.

15th August 1947: Tricolour Raises in CHT

In the morning of 15th August 1947, over 10,000 people marched to the Deputy Commissioner’s bungalow in Rangamati. The British Deputy Commissioner, Col. G.L. Hyde, affirmed that under the Indian Independence Act, CHT was legally part of India.

“Sir, is not India independent now?”

“Yes, you are independent now and on.”

“Is not, Sir, CHT a part of India under the Independence Act of India?”

“Yes, according to the Independence Act of India 1947, the Chittagong Hill Tracts is a territory of the Indian Dominion.”

“So, should we not hoist our National Flag?”

“Yes, but we the British people generally hoist flags at sunrise. Please come at dawn and hoist the Indian National Flag publicly in the football ground, and I will go and salute it.”

At sunrise on 15th August 1947, the Indian tricolour was raised with full public and official participation. Col. G.L. Hyde affirmed CHT belonged to India as per the Indian Independence Act. It was a brief moment of joy—the people believed they had been included in the new Indian nation.

17th August 1947: The

Announcement That

Changed Everything

Two days later, on 17th August, the Radcliffe Award was announced, arbitrarily placing CHT within Pakistan. It was a bolt from the blue—a betrayal of all the promises. The Chakma people learnt of their fate not through official notification, but via radio broadcast.

On 19th August, an emergency meeting was held at the Deputy Commissioner’s residence. It was resolved that CHT would not accept the award. Resistance squads were to be formed, and Sneha Kumar Chakma was tasked with seeking political and military support from India.

He crossed into India on 20th August and soon met with Sardar Patel. Patel reportedly supported the request for arms but directed Sneha Kumar Chakma to also seek endorsement from Prime Minister Nehru.

“We are resisting. I am sent to you for arms & ammunition.”

Sardar Patel: “Only arms & ammunition?”

“Yes. Only arms & ammunition. People of CHT are all ready to fight out their own field. They can adapt to all weapons necessary at present.”

Sardar Patel: “I am quite ready to supply arms & ammunition. But you know I am a deputy? Have I not a ‘Prime’?”

 ”Do you not push me to Pandit Nehru?”

“Yes. You must meet him first.”

“Then am I to see you again?”

“Come and report.”

But when he finally met Nehru, he was met with unexpected hostility. Nehru is recorded as thundering, “Do you propose to bring India again under foreign rule?” —refusing support and effectively abandoning the CHT resistance.

From that fateful day of 17th August 1947, the Chakmas have never accepted the Radcliffe Award. For them, this is not just about territorial boundaries—it’s about betrayal, identity, and survival.

A Community Abandoned, a Homeland Lost

With no support forthcoming from India, the resistance was left unsupported. CHT was absorbed into Pakistan and later into Bangladesh following 1971. What followed was a period marked by militarization, demographic engineering, displacement through infrastructure projects like the Kaptai Dam, erosion of indigenous rights, and marginalization of the Buddhist, Hindu, and Christian populations.

For the Chakmas and other hill peoples, this was not merely a redrawing of boundaries. It was the loss of a homeland and an identity they had fought to preserve. The events of August 1947 are seen not just as a legal error or political compromise, but as a betrayal of assurances and historical bonds.

Commemorating the Loss: Black Day

Since then, 17th August is observed every year as Chakma Black Day. It is marked not by public demonstrations or mass mobilizations, but by quiet remembrance. Candles are lit, oral histories are recounted, and younger generations are reminded of the events that changed the course of their community’s destiny.

Why This History Still Matters

The story of Chakma Black Day is more than a historical grievance. It prompts deeper reflection on how communities at the margins of nation-states are often excluded from decisive processes. It raises enduring questions about historical justice, the rights of indigenous peoples, and the unintended victims of political agreements.

In a time when Partition history is being revisited and reinterpreted, the narrative of CHT’s exclusion demands recognition. It also highlights the continued challenges faced by Chakma people who continue to face political and legal insecurity.

As India prepares to celebrate its 78th Independence Day, it is worth remembering that freedom did not arrive equally for all. For the Chakmas of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, 15th August 1947 was a day of hope—and 17th August, a day of loss.

The words of Sneha Kumar Chakma from 1947 still resonate:

“We hoisted the Indian flag with pride, believing we belonged. On 17th August, a radio broadcast told us we didn’t.”

(Ahimsak Chakma is a law student at J.B. Law College, Guwahati, with a postgraduate degree in history. Originally from Mizoram, he is the former president of the Guwahati Chakma Students’ Union. He is passionate about indigenous rights, social justice, and preserving the history of the Chakma community.)